Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Get your money back for delayed trains
Reading Time: 3 minutesIf your rail journey has been delayed or cancelled, you’re entitled to at least a partial refund. Here’s how to get your money back for delayed trains.
Happily, there is the Delay Repay scheme with which you can get a partial refund for any delayed trains. You can claim a full refund if delayed by over 2 hours.
- Delayed Trains: How bad is the problem?
- How does the Delay Repay scheme work?
- How can I claim money back for delayed trains?
Delayed Trains: How bad is the problem?
In 2019, government data showed that around 13% of trains arrived to their destinations over 10 minutes late.
If 13% of journeys are delayed (with around 3% cancelled altogether) then there is a good chance you have been affected.
Don’t pay for a service you didn’t receive! Check out the Delay Repay scheme.
How does the Delay Repay scheme work?
The Delay Repay scheme is a government initiative set up to ensure commuters are refunded in the case of a delay.
- Delays of 30-59 minutes mean a refund of 50% of the cost of a single ticket (or 50% of the relevant journey on a return ticket).
- You’ll get a 100% of the cost of a single ticket if you’re delayed more than an hour (or 100% of the relevant journey on a return ticket).
- Receive a full refund on a return ticket if delayed by 2 hours or more.
season tickets
Don’t worry if you have a season ticket, you can also get a refund.
- The same percentages apply and the refund will be calculated on the proportional daily cost of your ticket.
- The train operator assumes you travel each working day and one day every other weekend.
- You can also get a refund for weekly and annual tickets, although the proportional daily costs may vary.
how do you get the money?
Unfortunately, the refunds may take some time to arrive. After raising your case, the train operator may need several weeks to verify the delay and award payment. Once verified, you can receive payment via PayPal or other means.
Be aware that not all train operators use the Delay Repay system.
Each operator runs differently, so check with your operator for their specific terms.
How can I claim?
If you want to claim a refund then you must do so within 28 days of your delayed journey.
You can make a claim by filling in a Delay Repay form online, or posting a physical form to the specified address.
If you’re in any doubt, look on your rail provider’s website. They should have a form easily available.
You will need to send proof, so you will need either the ticket itself, a receipt, or a copy of the ticket.
There is a great service provided by Delay Repay Genie. For £3.75 a month, they will send you nightly emails with links to relevant claims that may have affected your journey, along with a link to a downloadable claim form. This is a great way to keep on top of the delays you suffer.
Even better, for £20 a month they can monitor up to 20 routes for you, and provide a quick ‘click to claim’ service.
One customer said he had received £580 in compensation in just 10 months.
Still no improvement in the trains in 2019.
South West Trains have so far not implemented this scheme, even though they claim the refunds themselves from Network Rail
Yes, frustratingly some operators are working to older franchise agreements with the government (Passengers Charter) and therefore not obliged to follow the Delay Repay scheme.